Various shopping and/or goods-transporting carts are known in the art. These include at least two different styles of shopping cart which, for purposes of explanation, will be referred to as the American model and the European model.
American shopping carts tend to have two conventional caster wheels mounted at the front and two fixed-direction wheels mounted at the rear. A frame structure, often with a handle, through which the cart may be pushed and steered, is also provided at the rear, above the fixed-direction wheels.
The caster wheels in the front permit a user to readily alter the direction of the wheels (and hence the cart) by applying a steering force to the handle. The fixed-direction rear wheels do not turn, but simply follow the direction of the front wheels, pivoting on the floor if necessary.
Since the rear wheels are fixed-direction, the cart cannot be rolled sideways. To move the cart sideways, a user typically lifts the rear end and physically moves it sideways. This can be a strenuous and potentially hazardous undertaking, particularly if the cart is weighed down. Alternatively, the cart is rolled forward and then backward, perhaps repeatedly, moving the cart over a bit each time (similar to parallel parking). This latter process is disadvantageously time consuming and laborious.
European shopping carts, in contrast, typically include four conventional caster wheels, two at the front and two at the rear. The use of four conventional caster wheels permits the cart to be rolled forward and directed much like an American shopping cart yet also readily rolled sideways, because the caster wheels support movement in any direction. This arrangement is particularly useful for maneuvering carts in smaller or more crowded spaces so a cart may be readily moved to the side so that another may pass, for example.
While the four caster wheels convey ready multi-directional movement, this arrangement is disadvantageous in that the carts are unstable and may move in any direction. It can be a challenge for a user to move them forward in a reasonably straight line, the user constantly adjusting the directing force applied to the handle, at times struggling to control the direction of the cart, particularly when loaded.
A need exists for a cart that has the directional benefits of an American style cart with the ready lateral movement of a European cart.